Recently j)ublished Ornithological Works. 525 



Journal S. African Ornithologists' Union. 



[The Journal of the South African Ornithologists' Union. Vol. ix. 

 2 parts, 130 pp. July and December, 1913.] 



One of the longest articles in the present volume is by- 

 Mr. Austin Roberts^ o£ the Pretoria Museum, who writes a 

 most interesting account of his observations on the birds of 

 the '' bushvekl " some twenty-five miles north of Pretoria, 

 and of the nests and eggs he has obtained in this district. 

 He still maintains, and we can see no valid reason for doubt- 

 ing his views, that the Pin-tailed Widow-bird ( Vidua serena) 

 is parasitic, laying its eggs in the nest of the Common 

 Waxbill [Estrilda astrilda). He also proposes a new 

 &uh%^ecie%,Poliospizagularis transvaalensis, for the Transvaal 

 form of the Streaky-headed Seed-eater. In a second paper, 

 " Some Rambling Notes on Birds/' Mr. Roberts describes 

 how he found the nest and eggs of Anthus chloris and 

 Heteronyx ruddi, which appear to have been previously 

 unknown, in the Wakkerstroom district, and writes on the 

 habits of the Grass- Warblers (Cisticola) , on which he has 

 recently published a study in the ^Annals ' of the Transvaal 

 Museum. 



From the pen of Mr. Swynnerton we have a charming 

 account of a pair of tame Ground-Hornbills (^Bucorax 

 cafer^, which he had on his farm in the Melsetter district 

 of Southern Rhodesia for some time. Apart from 

 their human characteristics and their interest as pets, 

 Mr. Swynnerton was anxious to make use of them for 

 certain experiments with regard to the palatability or other- 

 wise of various insects, and he found that, especially when 

 they were hungry, they were far from discriminating, though 

 even they will normally refuse Acrseid and Danaine butterflies. 



Mr. Haagner, the Editor, contributes an article on the 

 White Stork in South Africa, reprinted from ' Aquila' ; as 

 many as fifty-five birds, ringed in Europe, have up to now 

 been captured in South Africa, and recently a few individuals 

 have been noticed to remain through the winter, though the 

 greater number, no doubt, only come for the southern 



SER. X. VOL. II. 2 N 



